ODD COUPLING: I would say I was lucky enough to see Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick when they previewed their Broadway blockbuster THE PRODUCERS here in Chicago several years ago...except I didn't feel lucky. Mostly I felt bored.
I loved Broderick in Ferris Bueller, and I loved him even more in THE FRESHMAN. I'm not a Broderick-hater. Still, in THE PRODUCERS I found him to be an average singer and dancer, and a rather small presence onstage. He seemed maybe a little bit dazed, as if he'd had a Vicodin before the show.
Lane is a different story. I find his bluster too blustery, his drama too dramatic, etc. I loathed him in THE BIRD CAGE, which I desperately wanted to like given that Elaine May (yes, she of ISHTAR fame) teamed with her old pal Mike Nichols on it. I don't like him as a talk-show guest, either. In short, he annoys me. And in THE PRODUCERS, I just didn't buy him as the oversized Bialystock. Come to think of it, I think that would've been a perfect role for Ricky Gervais.
So when I saw this article about Lane and Broderick teaming up again for THE ODD COUPLE, saw that the show is already sold out from now until next millennium, I was a bit surprised. First, am I that far off the mainstream in not liking the two of 'em together? Second, is it just me, or would you rather see Broderick as the slob and Lane as the neatnik? C'mon, Lane is lifetime stage actor and he's gay. I don't buy him as Oscar, and neither should you.
And beyond that...aren't there any number of other stage combos that, although maybe not as bankable as Lane and Broderick, would make a better Felix/Oscar pairing?
From the mainstream: Bruce Willis as Oscar; that Chandler guy from friends as Felix.
From the fringe: Artie Lang as Oscar; Andy Dick as Felix.
From the Chicago news world: Mark Giangreco as Oscar; Antonio Mora as Felix.
From politics: Bill Clinton as Oscar; Al Gore as Felix.
The female version: Rosie O'Donnell as Oscar; Madonna as Felix.
The baseball pitcher version: David Wells as Oscar; Greg Maddux or John Smoltz as Felix.
From ESPN Radio: Mike Golic as Oscar; Mike Greenberg as Felix.
From the Rolling Stones: Keith Richards as Oscar; Mick Jagger as Felix.
From 'N Sync: That giant Greek guy as Oscar; Lance Bass as Felix.
From the Grateful Dead: Jerry Garcia as Oscar; Bob Weir as Felix.
From old TV: Roseanne as Oscar; Tom Arnold as Felix.
From this post: Elaine May as Oscar; Mike Nichols as Felix.
From the blogosphere: Andrew Sullivan as Oscar; Ariana Huffington as Felix.
Geez. I could do this for days!
10.11.2005
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10 comments:
That's funny, and I swear I thought the exact same thing when I was typing that post!
'... And neither should you.'
Huh? Come on now. Just because you have a hard time suspending disbelief here doen't mean everyone must.
Love the other pairings.
Trisha, you're right, he is. He is a study in contrasts. He's reckless and responsible. He's a very neat mess.
Kev, I was just kidding. I meant that to sound heavy-handed in a funny way, not in a heavy-handed way.
I saw John Ritter and Henry Winkler in "The Dinner Party" on Broadway, and they were fabulous, so I can surely picture them in these parts, The Fonz as Oscar and Ritter as Felix.
Granted, I have dead people in my list...but Mom, you do know John Ritter passed away, right?
By the way, I'd see the Fonz as Felix, Ritter as Oscar.
Ritter, as I've said before, was a much underestimated/underutilized talent. I put him with Dick Van Dyke and Don Knotts as supremely talented actors...
Once again, I'm sure some will think I'm trying to be funny...
Do you really think I am that "out of it?" Of course I know John Ritter is dead, but I thought the purpose was just to come up with a good make believe cast. And, I do agree that they could certainly switch parts and be good as well. I, too, thought that John Ritter was a very under utilized actor, and found it very sad to learn of his death at such a young age.
Okay. Glad you're not that out of it. Just making sure. We're constantly on the lookout for infirmity of mind or body...
Actually I am currently suffering more from infirmity of body, but, or course infirmity of mind is not out of the question!
Infirmity of mind is relative. For those that start with less grey matter, it's much harder to tell when they're losing it, since their "normal" is already sub-par. I'm just saying.
The previous infirmity of body stuff was your mom's addition, not teh, my mistake.
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